


A... Family?

by techn0girl



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Female Reader, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is Frisk's sibling, Reader-Insert, Selectively Mute Frisk, Tiny bit of Abuse and Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5776213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/techn0girl/pseuds/techn0girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk has returned to the surface with the monsters, and their first order of business is to have Toriel adopt their older sister into the family. </p>
<p>Full of fluff, angst, panic attacks, and all the glorious messed up problems that every fic deserves. Yay!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Y/n is your name.  
> My name for them is Arden, if you want to use that.
> 
> Frisk is 12 years old, and you are 17 3/4

You and Frisk were hiking. Mt. Ebott was a two day climb, and a great way to get away from your father for the weekend. It also wasn't nearly as dangerous as people said. At least, that's what you _thought_. 

"Y/n?" Frisk asked, and you turned to see them sign 'how long?'. 

"Ten minutes, I think. Can you hold up?" Frisk nods, and you turn back to the path. 

"So, there was a mollusk and a sea cucumber." You start, and Frisk groans good-naturedly. "The sea cucumber looks over to the mollusk and says 'with fronds like these,'-

"'Who needs anemones.' I know. You've told me that one a thousand times." Frisk finishes. You shrug.

"What can I say? It's a classic."

It's not until four hours later, after the tent has been pitched and the sun has gone down that Frisk goes missing. One minute, they are going to use the bathroom. The next, they're gone and you're searching the entire mountaintop. You stay up there for three days, searching, until you're forced to go back home out of sheer hunger. 

You try to tell your father. He just hurts you until you are numb with the pain. You try telling the police, but they either don't believe you, or believe your father more. You try telling Frisk's teachers. They give you their sympathy, their condolences, and nothing else.

So you have to find them yourself.


	2. The Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of abuse and alcoholism. Be Ye Warned.
> 
> Also, fluffy mcflufferton is in the house!  
> (In other words, I promise next chapter will be far more dramatic.)

The front room is dark, but the television is lit. You can hear your father, drunkenly yelling at the screen. Backpack on, you try to quietly step behind the couch and toward the front door. That plan fails when you trip on some empty beer cans.   
"What do you think you're doing, girl?" Your father is suddenly looming over you, snarling.  
"I-I was just going to w-work. Like usual." You lie. You're not going to work. You're going to look for Frisk, for the 67th time. Every night since they disappeared, you'd been out, looking for them.   
"Get up." You slowly stand.  _He knows._ You think, panicking.  _He knows that I don't work in the evening, he knows I'm looking for them, he-_  Your thoughts are interrupted by a slap across your cheek. You blink, eyes downcast. "You go to work too often, Y/n, if you leave you will not be coming back." He sneers. You nod vigorously, the motion making your head spin.  
"Yes sir, of course sir." He smacks you again.   
"Don't get cheeky with me." You nod again, this time staying silent. You watch his legs as he makes his way back to the couch. The stench of beer is overwhelming, and your stomach becomes increasingly queasy as you hear another can open. You're glad he didn't try to hit your chest again. It was already bruised. You  _hope_  it's just bruises, and not something worse.  
A sharp knock resounds on the door. It hurts your head. You hurry to answer the door, before your father can yell at you again. Behind the door is a skeleton. A short, stout skeleton with a grin that literally stretched from ear to ear. Or it would, if he actually had ears.  
"Hello." He said, and there was something very friendly about his voice. "I'm here to talk to Y/n."  
"Yes, that's me." You reply, eyebrows furrowed. There was a skeleton... on your doorstep. The monsters had returned to the surface two days ago, and but you had already expanded your search for Frisk to an area farther away from the mountain, so you had yet to encounter any.  
"Good, Frisk wanted me to get ya. Said they'd be 'bonely' without their older sister." He says, winking. You stare at him, wide eyed.   
"You know Frisk?"  
"Wouldn'ta been able to find you if I didn't."  
"Just- just a second. I need to do this first." You say, pulling a small device from your pocket. Clicking a button, you turn to your father. "I'm going out."   
"Step foot out of that door, girl, and you'll never be welcome here again. You understand me?" Your father growls. The tv's shadows make it hard to tell if he's looking at you or not.  _At least he graced you with a response, Y/n._  You think to yourself, almost sarcastically.  
"Good." You smirk, pressing another button on the device and slamming the front door behind you. Turning to the skeleton once more, you give hopeful nod. "Take me to my sibling."

The teleportation was, to say the least, disorienting. You stumble upon your arrival, almost falling. Sans catches you, and winks when you try to thank him. Looking around, you can see that you're in a pleasant little park, surprisingly close to Mt. Ebott. The place is teeming with monsters of all sorts. _This would be a cool place to-_ your train of thought is completely abandoned when you see them.  
"Y/n!" Frisk runs up to you, and you sweep them into a hug.  
"Frisk." You sigh, tired but happy. "What took you so long?" In turn, your younger sibling nods for you to sit down on a picnic blanket, -you end up next to a goat woman and across from Sans- and begins explaining in a mixture of words and hand gestures exactly what had happened underground. They point out and introduce each monster as they enter the narrative. You glare at Flowey and stick your tongue out at the flower when Frisk isn't looking.  _I'm going to have to_ talk _to him later. Just you wait, stupid little flower. No one threatens my younger sibling and gets away with it._    
When Toriel enters the story, you grin up at her, giving a shy wave. You try to keep a straight face when it comes to Sans' puns. (Frisk's execution is perfect, and you fail miserably. The laughing hurts your chest.) When it comes to the part about Papyrus's puzzles, you glance nervously between him and Frisk. Some of the puzzles actually sounded dangerous. But when Frisk gets to the point where they decide it's time to formally introduce you two, you can't help but grin at his enthusiasm.  
"HELLO, SISTER OF FRISK! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM SURE WE WILL BECOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS. I COULD EVEN MAKE YOU MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI RECIPE!!"  
"That would be nice, thank you Papyrus." You say, voice extremely quiet in contrast to his. You refrain from rubbing your arm after the vigorous handshake, trying not to be rude. Frisk gives you an odd 'I'll be talking to you privately later' look, and then proceeds with the story.  
You're slightly wary of Undyne, unsure of whether you should trust her. But when she greets you with a noogie and a promise to help with the spaghetti, you decide she's really just a little rough around the edges. You confirm this idea to yourself when you see how she treats Alphys.  
As it turns out, you and Alphys both enjoy Anime. You make a mental note to show her A Little Snow Fairy Named Sugar sometime.  
Mettaton isn't with the group when he's first introduced. In fact, he doesn't show up until Frisk describes pressing his switch. The whole thing seems a little staged.  
"Why hello, darlings! Who is this?" He asks, smiling at you.  _He's definitely a dramatic. And how do robots look so human?_  You wonder. Frisk interrupts your thoughts, telling Mettaton who you are.   
"Oh, it is absolutely  _wonderful_  to meet you dear. I swear, you're all Frisk has talked about since we arrived on the surface. I was starting to get jealous." He says, winking. You aren't sure if he's joking or not, but decide to smile anyway.  
"Charmed, I-I'm sure." You reply quietly, glancing at Frisk. They give you a thumbs up, before grabbing Mettaton's attention and explaining where they were in the story.  
"Oh, yes, I remember! Your poses were absolutely magnificent. Do continue." And with Mettaton's permission, Frisk does just that.  
The story only gets more intense as Frisk explains that they were the only child to make it all the way to Asgore. The rest had died because of sickness, cold, or heat, one died accidentally -due to self defense, and one actually lived to old age.  
You're glad when Frisk signs that Toriel stepped in before they and Asgore could actually fight. Looking at the king, you aren't sure that Frisk would have... You push that thought from your mind as your sibling slips into speech for the last part of their narrative.  
"And after that, everyone came! Even Jerry! Then I fell asleep. Well, I don't remember falling asleep, but I definitely woke up. And in the end, the six souls and the determination of every monster in the Underground combined broke the Barrier. It was pretty cool. Then I went and found Flowey, and put him in a boot, and we all came to the surface together." Frisk finishes, gesturing at everyone around you.  
"Well that's... amazing, to say the least." You say, a small grin slowly forming on your face. "Anything else to add?" Frisk nods solemnly. They gesture to Toriel, and you turn to face her.  
"Oh, well. Y/n dear, I have invited Frisk to stay with me, and to let me raise them as if they were... one of my own. Would you like to accompany them? That is, would you like to stay with Frisk and I as one of my children?" Your eyes widen as you glance between Frisk and Toriel. Frisk smiles encouragingly.  
"Really?" You ask softly. Not in a shy sort of manner, not like before. Now you're simply in a state of shock. You don't remember being a _child_  anymore, it had been so long since you'd become an adult. Toriel chuckles slightly.  
"Of course, Y/n. I wouldn't mind having more than one _kid_." She says. You smile, tears welling up in your eyes. Before you can even think about it, you are hugging Toriel as if your life depends on it.  
"Mom, that was a terrible pun." Frisk chimes in, joining the hug.   
"i don't want _tibia_  bother, Toriel, but these _kids_  have _goat_  to sleep somewhere. we should probably get to work finishing your new house before it gets too late."  
"Oh, yes you're right, Sans. Will you children be alright amusing yourselves for a while?" Toriel asks as you pull away from the hug. You and Frisk nod, and most of the group starts going to help.  
"Y'know what, Frisk? I think this is going to be the best time I've ever had." Frisk grins.  
"Yeah, it is. Now come on, I want to introduce you to MK!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frisk left quite a bit out.  
> Like the fact that they died multiple times.  
> And the actual fight with Asgore, Omega Flowey, and Asriel.  
> Just wait for nightmares.


	3. The Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk guides you through the Underground, and explains its' history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I was planning on bringing Chara and Asriel in this chapter, but in the interest of length, I decided to wait until next chapter.  
> In other words, this chapter has a lot of interaction/reaction to the Underground.

The next morning, you awaken to find Frisk curled up next to you, sleeping soundly. Frisk had mentioned that the room you're in is exactly like the one in Toriel's old house. The cozy room had two beds, and a closet that somehow already had a bunch of shirts just like Frisk's, along with some that were green and yellow-striped. It's weird to wake up relaxed. For so long, waking up had meant pain and now...

Now you're not sure about anything.

The monsters had made it clear that you were now a part of the family. And as much as you appreciated it, you had never experienced what a 'family' was really like. You had been parenting Frisk all their life, keeping them safe, fed, warm, and all the things that parents _should_ do. It all just leaves you unsure of what to do. Normally, you'd be getting up and making breakfast now, but it just didn't seem right to do it here.

Frisk shifted on the bed, uncurling just a tiny bit. You study them, noting that they seem happy, and even well-fed for once. It seems the monsters were taking good care of them. The thought fills you with gratefulness.

About five minutes later, Frisk wakes up. They were always the type to be awake right when they opened their eyes, and today is no exception.

'Will you explore the Underground with me today?' They sign, grinning up at you.

"Didn't you do a lot of that when you were down there on your own?" You ask, grinning down at your younger sibling. They shrug awkwardly before sitting up and signing some more.

'Yeah, but I want to show you all the cool stuff, like Echo Flowers and the skelebro house and-' you cut Frisk off with a laugh.

"Okay, okay, I guess there's a lot to see. But only if Toriel says yes. If you're calling her mom, you should definitely get her permission."

Frisk grins before rolling off the edge of the bed and dragging you with them. In retaliation, you tickle them until they are screeching with laughter. Not 30 seconds later, Toriel walks in to see both of you giggling and panting on the floor.

"Oh dear." She says, covering a smile with her paw. "Good morning, children. I trust you slept well?" You nod as Frisk leaps up to hug the goat-woman.

"Mom, can we have butterscotch cinnamon pie for breakfast?"

"Well pie is hardly a healthy breakfast, my child. Perhaps you would like pancakes instead?" Frisk nods, biting their face into Toriel's front.

"Pancakes sound great." You grin as Toriel looks at you questioningly. The three of you head to the kitchen, and you help with the cooking. It's rather comforting to cook but not be 'in charge' of cooking. For a moment, you wonder if you can learn to call Toriel 'Mom', as Frisk does. There's something so extremely comforting about the monster, and being around her makes you feel... well, just about as close to 'at home' as you'd ever felt. It leaves you wary, unsure if your surprisingly quick trust is well-founded.

When all is said and done, chocolate-cinnamon pancakes have all been eaten, you are put in charge of holding Flowey's pot while Frisk addresses the topic of the Underground with Toriel.

"Frisk... I mean, suppose it is not the same as last time, but-"

"I promise we'll be _extra_  careful. I just want to show Y/n everything. Plus, everyone knows me now, so it's not like we'll randomly be attacked or anything." Toriel's brow furrows, as if she's unsure whether that information is really all that comforting. In the end, she sighs.

"Alright, my child. But you must be careful, and call if you need anything.

You should find Sans first, and ask him to accompany you." Frisk nods vigorously, signing a quick 'will do, thanks Mom' before hopping off Toriel's lap, and practically dragging you towards the door.

"Frisk." Your sibling pauses at Toriel's voice. "Asgore accepted your invitation for dinner tonight. I thought you might like to know. Have fun, dears!" Frisk grins even wider before, signing 'thanks' and shoving you out the door as you wave goodbye to Toriel.

 

Finding Sans isn't hard, and it's even easier for Frisk to convince him to teleport you to the entrance. You aren't sure that you trust him yet. Frisk seems to adore him, and his puns are great (then again, you've never been the best judge of 'quality humor'), but there's something ominous about him. You decide to brush the feeling off for the time being, instead focusing on the cave Frisk is attempting to pull you into.

"Are you sure it's safe?" You ask them, eyeing the dark cave. After all, Frisk said they had fallen into a hole in the first place, and you didn't feel like falling an unknown distance to the bottom.

"No." Flowey sneers. You're surprised he didn't speak up earlier, as he seems to enjoy annoying you.

"Yes! Come on, Y/n. This is the back way, it leads right to Asgore's castle!" Frisk replies, ignoring Flowey completely. They tug you into the entrance of the cave. You stumble forward blindly, unsure of where to put your feet as darkness engulfs you.

Frisk tugs you through the corridor until you come upon the Throne Room. They don't stop, but you do. The ground is covered in golden flowers, and there is light filtering through the ceiling. Every available surface is covered in vines, and there is a purple-cushioned throne in the center. It's breathtaking.

"Flowey got your tongue, kid?" Sans asks, chuckling at your reaction. Flowey let's out an indignant 'Hey!' but you just shake your head in wonder.

"Okay, Frisk. I see why you wanted to show me around. Is the whole Underground like this?" Frisk nods, smiling from ear to ear. You wish you had a camera. Taking a deep breath, you continue forward, suddenly realizing why it might have taken Frisk so long to return to the surface. You're not sure you want to leave, and you've only been there a minute or two.

Frisk shows you the graves of the seven children next, gently setting a few items on each grave as they talk about them. You honestly don't think you've ever heard Frisk say so many words in a row when they're done. Flowey doesn't interrupt Frisk a single time, which strikes you as odd. He seemed plenty talkative (though quite snide) yesterday. You decide to stop caring about the flower and focus on your surroundings instead. The 'judgement hall', as Frisk calls it, is gorgeous, and even has windows with light from outside shining in. You realize how agonizing it must have been to be able to feel the sunshine through the stained-glass windows and not be able to see anything past them. You realize that if had been humans, they probably would have killed the children instead of waiting for them to die.

Frisk explains to you some of the history of the Underground as the four of you traverse the colorless corridors. Sans interjects whenever he feels the need, but for the most part seems content with silence. You can't tell if he's actually walking, or just teleporting every few feet, but you're more focussed on your sibling's hurried signing than his travel habits.

In 'The Core' Frisk points out where their pose-off with Mettaton happened, and told of how Alphys helped with the lasers. They didn't take you through every room, but they did point out where puzzles and other important things happened. You followed the same routine through Hotland, with the exception of a full tour through MTT Hotel and Restaurant.   
When you get to the vent puzzles, saying you’re extremely apprehensive is an understatement. Frisk makes it look easy as they let the hot air from the vents carry them across, even giggling as they fly through the air. Flowey makes fun of you until you threaten to drop him mid-flight because of it. That makes him shut up real quick. Sans teleports across before you can think to ask him for help. So in the end, you scrunch your eyes up, grip the flowerpot close to your chest, and steps onto the heat pad.   
Frisk is clapping for you before you realize you’ve hit the ground again. You follow their instructions to get through the maze of air, closing your eyes every time your feet leave the ground. It’s the second most frightening thing you’ve ever done, and you don’t think you ever want to do it again.

Soon after Hotland you arrive in Waterfall, and Frisk points out all the places they battled with Undyne, and recounting their adventures with MK. They sign about how Echo Flowers work, and you listen to the stories they tell. That’s when you notice the ambiance. It’s quiet, like literal background music, but still there.

“Why is there music?” You ask upon leaving the hall of flowers. Frisk shrugs, and Sans steps into explain.

“the high concentration of magic creates an ambiance. the music will change based on the monsters in the area, and the situations they’re in. Boss Monsters have a different tune when they’re fighting, or are the only ones in an area. when everyone is hopeful, the music is different than when we’re all unhappy. right now, you’re hearing the happiness everyone felt while heading to the surface, and the peaceful atmosphere Waterfall has always had.” Sans shrugs. “‘s simple, really.”   
“Oh. That’s kinda awesome.” You say, grinning a bit. “So does that mean your homes on the surface will eventually have this music too?”

“probably.” Sans shrugs again. You turn to follow Frisk once more as they drag you to ‘Te Temmie Rom’. (You had been introduced to a Temmie and Bob last night, and so understand when your sibling purposely misspells their words for this one.)  
Your sibling ends up backtracking to show you most of Waterfall. You recall that they had fallen into the dump of the Underground while running from Undyne, but you don’t mind the backtracking. It allows you to see the beautiful castle view from afar, the music-box statue, and meet Onion San (who would leave as soon as the monsters could give him proper transportation to the ocean).   
You had to admit awe at the star cavern. Unfortunately, that awe was quickly tainted by slight embarrassment when Sans tricked you into looking through his ‘telescope’. You’re glad he doesn’t have a camera.

Snowdin is a quaint little village, and you immediately like it. Just by stepping foot in the town, you can tell why Sans and Papyrus and so many other monsters decided to make this place their home.

“welp. i’m gonna make sure all my stuff is packed up. you go on without me.” Sans says, and you swear his grin grows before he teleports away. All the shops, the Librarby, and Grillby’s are closed on account of everyone having moved out already, but you can imagine what they would have looked like all lit up and warm inside.

The puzzles are fun to try and solve, but you’re glad Frisk already knows their solution. They always were more determined than you. The snowman is very nice, and thanks Frisk for bringing the Snowman Piece to the surface with them. As you near the door to the Ruins, Frisk begins explaining about Chara, the First Fallen Child; and Asriel, the son of Asgore and Toriel. They continue explaining as they guide you through Toriel’s home and point out where their bed was. You note that it is difficult to listen to Frisk’s hands and mouth at the same time, especially when they are saying different things.

They tell you more as they hand you a piece of Monster Candy from a dish. You pocket it for later, and Flowey asks for one as well. Frisk obliges, and he eats his piece right away. Frisk guides you carefully through the spikes, explaining that if you step in the right places, they don’t hurt at all. You are glad that Frisk knows the way, but also that they had Toriel to guide them the first time through.

It isn't long until you come to a place of golden flowers. It's quite pretty, but Flowey seems rather uncomfortable. Maybe it's because he's the only sentient flower you’ve heard of so far. Frisk gestures for you to set him on a flat rock, before handing you a shovel.

“Wait, what?” You ask, confused. “Where did you get this.”  
“The phone Alphys gave me is connected to a couple Interdimensional Boxes. I can hold anything I want in them, and access them later.” Frisk says, shoving their own shovel into the ground on the outskirts of the flower patch. “Help me, Y/n.”   
“What are you doing?” Flowey asks, speaking up for the first time in a while.   
“Bringing you and Chara back.”   
“Again, what?” You ask your sibling, mildly freaking out. Frisk turns to you, tucking the handle under their armpit. Then they take to signing. ‘You and I are going to dig Chara up, and I’m going to give her back her soul. Trust me, it’ll work. I have to give Mom her children back. It’s the best way to make her happy.’ _This is insane._ You think. _You don’t have to do this. You can take Frisk and Flowey back and ask Sans to take you straight home._ It only takes a glance at your sibling’s determined expression to see that no matter what you do, they will see this through eventually.

“Frisk... don’t you think she will have... decayed by now?” Frisk shakes their head.

‘Monster magic will preserve a human body for thousands of years, Chara’s only been dead for a couple hundred. Her body will be fine.’ They sign. You close your eyes and breathe deeply.

“You can’t do this, Frisk.” Flowey sneers. He sounds kind of desperate. “It will never work. She’s gone, and so is your precious Asriel. No matter how many times you reset, they will always be dead. D E A D.” Flowey’s unusual and annoying remark helps you make up your mind.

“Fine.” You say, putting your shovel into the ground at the opposite end of the patch of flowers. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m exhuming a body because my younger sibling said we can bring them back to life.” You chuckle. “I’ve gone off the deep end. But you haven’t, have you Frisk?” You look up at them expectantly. They shake their head and smile.

“Oh, mind the flowers. We’re going to replant them when this is done.” Frisk grins up at you before beginning again to dig. And you, crazy as it felt to do so, began to dig as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think?  
> (I think I am really bad at writing Flowey, which is why he didn't talk much.)  
> Also, please let me know if I messed anything up. (Especially gender pronouns and stuff).


	4. The Lost Children

The first half hour of digging is accompanied by spurts of giggles and snarky remarks to Flowey. The giggles aren't funny in the slightest, but they’re a product of everything that has happened in the last 24 hours. Between goat-moms and sentient flowers, talking skeletons, transportation, souls, and the awesome but terrifying world of the Underground, you are completely overwhelmed. (In retrospect, your reaction is very delayed.)

The second thirty minutes are spent quietly, listening to Frisk talk about Chara, and how she has accompanied them ever since falling into the Underground.

“It's because Asriel absorbed her soul. With his magic and Chara’s determination, they were able to continue together without physical forms.“ They pause in their digging and look up at you. “You know, I don't think it would have worked if Asriel weren't a Boss Monster, or if Chara was less determined.” They muse. You shake your head, half in bewilderment and half amused.

“I don't know how you figured that out, Frisk, but it kind of makes sense. So how is Asriel a Boss Monster?”

“It runs in families.”

The third half hour is when the conversation turns to Flowey.

“So... Flowey has Asriel’s conscious, but not his conscience. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” You ask, trying to make sure that you actually understand this new craziness. Frisk nods in response.

“I don't need a conscience. It gets in the way of all the _fun_.“ Flowey snarks.

You continue, ignoring the flower.  “So... Alphys could have injected anything living -a tree for example- with DT, and as long as a monster died next to the tree, their consciousness would be absorbed by it, but they wouldn’t have a moral compass to go with it.”  
“Yup. Flowey lost everything a soul would provide, particularly the love and compassion monsters are made from.”

“Ha! Why would I need _love_ when I could gain _LOVE_!” Flowey cackles.

“What about the magic?”  
“So much DT in such a small form has consequences. He lost _Asriel's_ magic, but gained some of his own.”

“Huh. That's... well-” you stop when your shovel abruptly runs into some sort of barrier. “Um... Frisk?” You say, bending down and gently brushing dirt away from the spot. “I think we've dug as far as we need to.”

Frisk rushes to quickly begin brushing dirt away with you, and the two of you completely uncover the girl in a matter of moments. You can only assume she is Chara, and you're not sure whether to be happy or freaked out.

Her body is completely unharmed, the magical barrier preserving it from decay and harmful outside sources. She almost appears to be sleeping. Flowey speaks up.

“She doesn't want this, Frisk. She died because she wanted to. Let her stay gone.” Frisk shakes their head at him and signs quickly: ‘We've talked about it. Everyone deserves a second chance. I'm giving her one, and I'm giving _you_ one.’

“I won't let you-” He starts. Frisk interrupts quickly. ‘ _You_ don't have to. It's _Asriel's_ decision, deal with it.’ And with that, Frisk turns back to Chara's with even more determination on their face then before.

When Frisk pulls their soul out, you gasp. First, it seems incredibly strange to see something so special. Sure, you had only first heard about the manifestation of a soul the previous night, but you already understand its importance.

What shocks you even more is when the soul separates into two, a slightly darker one pulling away. Frisk carefully cups the darker soul in their hands and pushes it downwards to Chara’s chest. When the soul is completely inside of the girl's body, it instantly begins to breathe again. It's rather odd, honestly, to see someone so still suddenly begin to move again.

Frisk leans forward to tap the girl’s cheek. “Chara?” They ask quietly.

“Jus’a min.” Chara groans, eyes squinching up. She slowly yawns, and tiredly opens her eyes. Frisk leans in closer to her face, eyes wide. Chara grins. “‘S been two-hundred and thirty years, Frisk. Did you expect me to be jumping around right away?” Frisk shrugs, face breaking out into a grin as they help the girl to sit up. You attempt to help too, but Frisk warns you not to with their eyes. Chara looks over to you anyway.

“Hey.” You smile softly. “Did you sleep well?” Chara narrows her eyes at you as if deciding what to respond. She elects to ignore you, opting instead to turn back to Frisk. She signs something to them you can't quite make out, and Frisk shakes their head.

“Not yet. Asriel's next, he said he would. Do you want to help?” Chara nods swiftly, and Frisk instructs you to grab Flowey. He doesn't protest as you pick up his pot, only stares wide-eyed at Chara. She takes him from you, grinning.

“C’mon, Azzy. It's like you've never seen someone come back to life before.” She says, stroking his petals. Flowey makes a noise somewhere between a snort and a whine, but doesn't talk. Frisk pulls their soul out again, but this time a little white soul separates from their red one, and is pushed by the two children towards the flower. You can see Flowey edge away from the soul for a moment, before letting it absorb into his petals.

This time, a bright white light shoots from the flower, enveloping the room in blinding brightness. When you can see again, there is a goat about the size of Frisk and Chara sitting on their laps. He and Chara have matching clothes, you note, striped green and yellow sweaters with what looks like jeans. The goat -whom you can only assume is Asriel- bleats in surprise as he looks at his paws.

“I- I'm me! I'm not a flower anymore and... And my LV is gone.” Asriel says, sounding shocked and relieved. Chara laughs as she and Frisk throw their arms around him. You sit back quietly, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

“Mine’s gone too, Azzy.” You hear Chara say, voice muffled by Asriel’s fur. “Comes with the whole ‘new start’ thing.” The three laugh a little, before Chara chokes on a sob, and suddenly she and Asriel are crying, and thanking Frisk, and giggling again as they say it at the same time.

You don't know what to do. It's almost as if touching them would make them disappear, like a dream. Even if that wasn't possible, it would ruin the moment. Something in you says that this moment is very important, and not something to be ruined or even spoken of.

It's not until two minutes later that you are acknowledged. There's a couple of moments of silence before Asriel speaks up once again. “Hey. We all get to be siblings now. Again.” At this, Frisk head snaps up to look at you, and they're grinning broadly.

“Speaking of siblings.” They begin, gesturing to you. “This is my older sister, Y/n. Y/n this is Chara and Asriel, former prince and princess of the Underground, and former soul-roomies.” You grin, and somewhat shyly give a half-wave.

“Hi guys.” They both wave in return, and Asriel gets up to give you a hug. You chuckle slightly, squeezing him tightly. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Frisk nudge Chara, who shrugs.

“So, ah, should we head home? You guys look kinda tired.” You start, smiling up at Chara and still halfway hugging Asriel. All three of the kids nod, and Frisk helps Chara to stand. You stand as well, and Asriel takes the other side of Chara.

The four of you begin to walk, Chara sags heavily on Asriel and Frisk, dragging her feet. “I can carry you, if you need me too.” You offer, but Chara shakes her head in defiance. The three of you barely make it through two rooms before her head drops to get chest. You look at Frisk questioningly, and they nod, confirming that Chara's fallen asleep on her feet. Asriel and Frisk help you situate the girl so she's riding you piggyback, and you all continue onward.

None of you remember the small flowerpot sitting on the cave floor, and none of you remember to replant the golden flowers.

 

\---

 

About halfway to Sans and Papyrus’s old house your chest begins to hurt, from both the walking, and carrying Chara. You decide you ought to check it out later, when there's time. It might be too much to hope that you’re only bruised.

Asriel speaks up quietly, asking you questions about this and that. “What's your favorite food?”

“Stuffed cinnamon French toast.” You answer, grinning down at him. He and Frisk are holding hands as the three of you pass through the door to Snowdin. “What about you?”

“Butterscotch Cinnamon pie.” He says, smiling at the thought. Frisk tugs their hand from Asriel's grasp to sign ‘We're having some for dessert tonight.’ before grabbing his paw again.

“Awesome.” Asriel grins. “What are stars like?”

“Kinda like your star room in Waterfall, but farther away. We've made pictures out of them in a ‘connect-the-dots’ kind of way.” Asriel nods wide-eyed at your explanation.

“Do you make wishes on them?”

“Actually, yes. We have a little rhyme. ‘Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight.’”

“Wow. Have you ever gotten a wish granted?” He asks. You're about to shake your head no, tell him that your wishes are impossible, but you stop yourself.

“Just yesterday, actually. I wished a wish a thousand times, and it was granted yesterday.” You smile softly, looking ahead to where Sans’ puzzle supposedly lay when Frisk first went through this area.

Two dozen questions later, Frisk is knocking on Sans’ bedroom door. He doesn't open it, instead teleporting directly behind them.

“ya ready to go, kid?” He asks, ever-present grin plastered to his face. Frisk nods and signs to him, pointing down to where you stand with Chara still on your back and Asriel at your side. Asriel waves at him.

“Hello, Mr. Sans.”

“heh. hey, Dreemurr.” Sans nods before turning to Frisk. “can't say I'm surprised. ‘s the only thing you haven't done. does this mean you're done with the whole ‘reset’ thing?” He asks. You wonder what he means by that.

“Can't.” Frisk answers solemnly. “It was the three of us, together, that made it possible.” Sans just nods, and walks -actually walks- with Frisk down to you and Asriel.

“guess it's time to get you kids home then.” He grins. Frisk takes Asriel and Sans’ hands, and you grab his other hand when he extends it. In the blink of an eye, you're out of the mountain, facing the sunset. Asriel gasps beside you.

“Frisk, is that?” Frisk nods.

“It's the sun, Azzy. The actual real-life sun. “ Asriel gasps again and you all stand there for a couple moments before Sans zaps you all to directly in front of his house. Chara groggily wakes up as you all begin to cross the street to Toriel's house.

“Where are we?” She asks, rubbing her eyes.

“Outside, Chara. For the first time! Look, you can see the sunset over there!” Asriel excitedly points in the direction of the sunset.

“Cool, Azzy. Um, will you put me down now?” She asks as you step onto Toriel's front porch. You nod quickly, carefully bending down so she can get off easily. You and Frisk help to steady her as she wobbles, and she ends up pulling away from you and clinging to Frisk. She seems to be doing a much better job of staying upright now. With the kids to either side of you and Sans behind, you step forward to knock on the door.

Asriel is bouncing on his feet, barely containing himself. You're pretty sure that if it was different circumstances, he would have already charged into the house.

Toriel begins talking almost before she opens the door. “My children, I was beginning to get worried-” she stops abruptly, noticing the two extra kids for the first time. Asriel is still bouncing, but he doesn't step forward yet, waiting for his mom to make the first move. “Asgore.” Toriel says softly. Then, more loudly she calls, “Asgore, you need to come here, now.”

You hear him before you see him, his large feet shuffling from the kitchen to the front room. “Yes, Toriel?” In response, she opens the doorway wider and allows him to step in next to her. As soon as he sets eyes on his long-lost children, his expression instantly matches Toriel's.

“Chara, Asriel?” He whispers, looking between the two. “How... Come here.” He sinks to one knee and opens his arms wide. Chara -with Frisk's help- steps into his embrace. Asriel goes to his mother instead, unable to stop himself.

Toriel and Asgore number l murmur quietly in their children's ears, and the children switch parents after a couple minutes. Frisk steps back to hold your hand, watching the scene with you.

After a few minutes, Toriel looks up at you again, with tears in her eyes.

“Frisk, Y/n... You brought our children back to us. Thank you.” Asgore stands and nods to both of us.

“Yes. Thank you. I-we are forever indebted to you.” You and Frisk simultaneously speak, shaking your heads.

“With all due respect, Mr. Dreemurr, it was just the right thing to do.”

“I wanted to save _everyone_ , dad. That includes Chara and Asriel.”

Toriel laughs. “I can see where Frisk gets their selflessness. Come, children. We should eat. Then we will figure out bed arrangements.” With that, everyone enters the house.

You hang back to shut the front door, but hesitate to enter the dining room. Around the table sits the Dreemurr’s, Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus. Already, they're talking animatedly -meaning Frisk is introducing Papyrus and Sans is making puns at every opportunity- and it feels like intruding to enter. (It doesn't help that three of the monsters still put you on edge.)

You decide to quietly go down the hallway and back to your room. However, you are only five steps away when you hear Toriel behind you.

“Y/n, dear, are you alright?” You turn to her and nod slightly.

“I-I didn't want to get in the way.” You say, looking at the ground. You're slightly startled when Toriel brings you into a hug.

“My child, you are part of the family now. I promise, you won't be in the way.” She says softly. The words almost make you cry, but you take a deep breath and nod up at Toriel.

“Okay. Where do I sit?”

 

You end up sitting next to Frisk. You don't talk, but listening to the conversation is enough. Dinner is ravioli.

“THIS IS A FASCINATING FORM OF SPAGHETTI, QUEEN TORIEL.”

“heh, yeah. it might even be the spa _greatest_.”

“SANS! NO PUNS AT THE DINNER TABLE!”

“I agree with Sans, m’dear. Your food is great as always.” Frisk, Chara, and Asriel all nod in agreement, but don't pause in their eating to speak.

Asriel finishes first, and is bouncing in his seat again.

“Asriel, what is it?” Toriel chuckles.

“Do you have Butterscotch Cinnamon pie, Mom? Can we have some for dessert? _Please?_ ” He asks, grinning eagerly. Chara’s eyes widen, and she quickly nods in agreement. Frisk giggles at their eagerness, signs ‘I can get it!’, and rushes to get the pie.

The pie is quite possibly the best thing you've ever eaten.

“Y’know, Asriel,” you start in between bites, “I think I see why this is your favorite. It's un _pie_ lievably good.” Sans snorts at your pun, Toriel and the kids giggle, and Asgore and Papyrus groan but still smile.

You're glad to be in such good com _pun_ y.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not that good with puns, but I made up two that I hadn't heard before for this chapter. :)  
> So, what do you think of the story so far? Is everything flowing well?

**Author's Note:**

> I would love your feedback and advice!


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